Scarlet Promise
by Assassin-G
Summary: Final Fantasy VII storyline. At the age of 16, Domon leaves Rain to become a SOLDIER. Five years later, they will meet again. Domon is a cold-hearted mercenary who remembers nothing of his past and Rain is part of the resistance group AVALANCHE. R&R plz
1. Chapter 1

It was a nice breezy night in the Ne0-Japan Colonies. It was summer; school had just let out and everyone was preparing for the long haul. Spring's renewal had long since passed, and in its end, had taken the mother of Rain Mikamura. An unprecedented heart virus had taken her mother's life, and ever since then she had been determined to become a doctor and save lives.

And on top of a water tower stood Rain. Her childhood friend, Domon Kasshu, had requested to meet her here.

Rain took a quick glance at her analog watch. It was the latest fashion; everyone seemed to have abandoned digital. She heaved a sigh.

"Late as always, Domon," she breathed. Then, taking a step back, she backed right into the ambition five foot nine fighter.

"Domon!"

"Hey, Rain. Nice to see that you didn't forget," he replied. He had told her to meet him here right before the last day of school because he wasn't as smart as her so he didn't have any classes with her.

Rain sat down on the step, recovering from the shock Domon had given her. She was wearing a short red dress with matching pumps. She also had on pink lipstick; it was obvious she had dressed up just for him.

"So what did you call me here for?" she asked, staring ahead. The platform towered over the whole town, providing a very nice view.

"Oh yeah. About that. You see . . ." Domon broke off, looking uncomfortably around as if trying to find how he was going to break the news to his childhood sweetheart. Rain, noticing the awkward silence, looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked lightly, patting on the ground and motioning Domon to sit with her. Reluctantly, Domon obeyed.

"Well, you see. . . this'll be the last year I'll be in Ne0-Japan. I'll be going down there," he pointed at the blueberry planet. Rain nodded her head in acknowledgment. 

"Oh. . . I see. A lot of boys your age are setting out to get jobs."

Domon shook his head. True, a lot of his friends were out getting minimum wage jobs, but that wasn't what he was going to do. 

"You don't understand," he continued, surveying the town. He spotted his house, and how there was a small trail of smoke coming from the chimney. "I'm going to train with Master Asia."

Rain gasped. "The Great Undefeated of the East?"

Domon nodded. His future was close enough to grasp, and he decided to take it. Little did he know that it would be the biggest challenge of his life.

"Yes. . . I want to be a SOLDIER. No, not like any other. I want to be as strong as Master Asia."

"Oh. But that means that you'll be gone for a long time. . ." Rain trailed off, her head hung lowly, fighting the tears that was sure to come. Domon wrapped his arms around her delicate body in an embrace. Immediately, the tears stopped. Rain lifted her head. The tears gave her eyes the extra spark. They were like a set of fine sapphire.

"I will be back," Domon reassured.

"You promise?"

"Huh?"

"I want you to swear that you will."

"What?"

"Then does that mean that you don't mean what you just said? What if I ever need you to save me? Will you be there?"

"Yes, I will. I'll be there when you need me, and I will come back, but only when I'm famous."

"Will you write to me?"

"Every day."

Rain leaned contently on Domon's arm. She tilted her head so that she could see the constellations. A moving projectile in the sky caught her attention. It was a shooting star! She breathed deeply, awed at her fortune. She was with the man she loved, and even though they'll be separated for a few years, they will be happily together for an eternity.

_I will be strong. _Rain looked up. Domon's head was drooping, his eyelids closed. She smiled, and tugging on a blanket she had brought, wrapped it around herself and Domon. _For his sake. . . ._

To be continued. . . . .


	2. Chapter 2

A young brunette woman glanced at her clipboard, deep in thought. It was bad enough that she couldn't figure out how to deal with her dying patient, but having the only love she ever had in her mind right then made it even worse. It had been two years since the last letter from Domon, two years of worrying about him, but although burdened with all the sorrow her one and only bestowed upon her, she was still very attractive. Bright, beautiful, and sweet. She could've married her ex-boyfriend Seitte and never have to work again, but that didn't work out. Seitte was a famous scientist, rich, dark, tall, and handsome, but there was something missing. It was Domon whom Rain wanted. 

"Uhh. . . Rain? We need to get this done now."

With that, Rain snapped out of her thoughts. There were three doctors in the room, her father and his associates. Dr. Mikamura frowned at her daughter's lack of attention towards the task at hand. He sighed subconsciously. 

_Young people are so foolishly in love. . . how am I going to break the news to her?_

After the operation, Dr. Mikamura scurried to the doctor's lounge. Since the hospital was always busy, there was practically no one in the room. He sat down at the table near the vending machines and started on the diagnosis of the current plague that has spread throughout the Colonies. A few moments later, the lounge door opened and Rain slipped in.

"Father," she greeted.

Dr. Mikamura, whose eyes were set on his paper, nodded his head in acknowledgement of his daughter's presence. Slowly, he lifted his head up to see what his daughter was up to. It was abnormal for her to take breaks because she was so hard-working. But his daughter's actions surprised him. She was staring out the window with a handkerchief covering her mouth to stifle the sound of her sobs. Immediately, Dr. Mikamura went over to comfort her.

"Daughter, what is wrong?"

"I-It's nothing. I'm acting unprofessionally. I am sorry."

With her best efforts to fight the inevitable tears, she straightened her posture and wiped her eyes. Dr. Mikamura looked pained to see her daughter be broken. And even worse, it was he who had to break the silence and tell her daughter about her friend's demise.

Rain, who noticed her father deep in thought, spoke.

"What is it, Father?"

Dr. Mikamura opened his mouth to speak. A soft gurgling soft escaped his throat, but nothing else followed. Embarrassed, he turned away and walked towards the window. The lounge was located on the twenty fifth floor and provided a great view of Earth. Right adjacent to the hospital was the new Shinra building. Dr. Mikamura tilted his head as he remembered his childhood.

Shinra. . . it was said to be the wave of the future. With their cutting edge technology, it was possible that they would end the feud between Earth and the Colonies. But instead of helping to find a resolution, they started their own little war against Earth. Their actions harmed Earth more than the Gundams, but they were also a very big producer of Mobile Suits and Gundam parts.

"Rain," Dr. Mikamura commanded. "I need to speak with you."

Rain looked puzzled at her father's sudden change of mood but went over to him nonetheless.

"Yes, Father?"

Dr. Mikamura held his breath to brace himself for dropping the bomb on her daughter.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Domon is dead."

The words hit Rain like a bucket of ice water. Her eyes were wide and shocked, her whole body stiff and rigid, her mouth opened in horror, her delicate soft hands shook, and her brain unable to function. _So that's why I've been thinking about him lately . . . it's because he's dead._

"I'm sorry, Rain," her father said, gently taking his daughter's hand and caressing it lightly. "He had talked about joining SOLDIER, am I correct?"

Rain nodded her head slowly, but other than that, she remained still.

"Yes, well,  Shinra's troops were thwarted with the combined strength of Earth's forces. Bodies everywhere. . ." Dr. Mikamura shook his head sadly, shuddering slightly at the thought of the battleground. _Tens of thousands dead. . ._

"It's because of Shinra that Domon's dead," Rain whispered. "It's because of Shinra that Earth is about to die. It's because of them that Mother died of that heart virus. . ."

Stunned, Dr. Mikamura went over to the table and picked up his research.

_"Patients diagnosed with an overexposure to radioactive substances. Areas of the affected are quartered near Shinra's reactors. . . Ailments include shedding of skin, physical mutation, heart and respiratory defects. . ."_ Dr. Mikamura read. Then, setting down the papers, he grabbed her daughter by the shoulders.

"You've got to get out of here. Before they find out you know as well." He jerked his head in the direction of the Shinra branch nearby. He reached into his pocket and handed Rain the ignition key to his space pod. Just at that moment, someone started pounding on the door.

"Dr. Mikamura! Let us in!"

He turned to his daughter. "Go. Before they find out."

Rain nodded and pulled on a loose marble on the floor and eased herself in the gap. The door burst open. Soon, the whole room was filled with Shinra soldiers. Soon after the ambush, three men walked into the room. One was short and fat, the other young and tall, and the last had silver hair tied up into a ponytail. Rain soon identified the three people as the president of Shinra, his son, and the Great Master Asia. 

"Ah, Dr. Mikamura. So good to see you again!" remarked the President.

"What do you want?" he asked, slowly backing to the table to hide the report but Master Asia already had it in his hand. Soon, the President's face contorted and he looked at Rain's father angrily.

"Who else did you show this to?"

"I am the only one who knows. And I have kept it a secret, as you so kindly, uh, _requested_ the last time we met."

His face relaxed after hearing Dr. Mikamura's words. "Hmm. I guess I can trust your sense of judgment. After all, you don't want your daughter to be sucked into this little arrangement, correct?"

Dr. Mikamura nodded, trying his best not to look at the place where Rain was hiding. 

The President turned to walk out of the room, but before leaving, he snapped his fingers. "Kill him."

_What?! No!!_

That was the last time Rain ever saw her father alive. . .

 __

To be continued. . . . .


	3. Chapter 3

"He's not comin'," muttered the behemoth of a man. He looked at his watch and turned to the train attendant. "Are these all the passengers?"

"Yes. These are it."

Rain directed her attention back to the huge man. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this, Argo. Sorry for making you wait."

The man waved off her apology.

"No need ta apologize," he grunted. He had gotten to know Rain quite well for the past three years. He felt a sort of kinship with the brunette. Like Rain, he too had lost a loved one by the hands of Shinra. But he did not know much of her past to really understand the magnitude of her loss. He turned to survey the train platform. There was no one.

He continued, "Listen. I wuz just wonderin' who you was waitin' fo."

Rain looked at the man she had grown to accept as an older brother. She didn't want to burden him with the tragedies of her past, but she felt a need to talk about it. She sighed.

"I was waiting for Kyoji, my friend Domon's bigger brother," she explained. She stopped to ponder if she should continue, and got her answer as she looked into the curiosity-filled eyes of Argo. "Domon's my childhood friend. He joined SOLDIER five years ago and died a few years back. Kyoji had joined SOLDIER before Domon but he vanished without a trace. His last letter instructed me to meet him at this train station today. That was the last I've heard from him."

Argo bowed his head and held a moment of silence for the loss of his "little sister," but the urge of shouting, "Serves dem right, dose dumbasses fo trustin' Shinra," lurked in his mind.

Rain sighed. "So he's not coming. . . Well, I'll meet you back at the bar."

Argo nodded slowly and watched Rain leave. Something caught his attention. Rain's shoulders were sagged and her whole body trembling. _Who can this Domon be? He's breakin' her damn heart! _Chibodee growled vengefully and shook his fist. _If I eva meet dis S.O.B. I'll kill 'em._ He ran off to meet Rain at their bar, the 7th Heaven.

When he got there, the rest of the crew was already there. 

Argo glanced around at his comrades. Although driven by different objectives, they had one common interest: to bring down Shinra before it destroys the Earth.

"Okay, ya no good nothins'," he growled. It was normal for him to act all tough but those closest to him knew of his softer side. 

  
Right at that moment, Argo's teenage daughter Allenby ascended from the underground hideout.

"Daddy, you're home," she greeted. She was seventeen and looked nothing like her father. It was obvious she inherited her late mother Natasha's light green hair and soft green eyes. She looked around and was immediately greeted by George.

Argo tapped his boots on the ground impatiently.

"Are ya ready to stop screwin' around?" he asked. "Damnit, now listen. Our next target is da Sector 7 Reactor." He looked at Chibodee, the big man of the group. "Yo job's ta destroy da Maxter Gundam, get me?"

"What about security?" 

Rain was standing behind the counter, dismissively wiping the booze off the countertop. She looked intently at Chibodee, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, 'bout dat. We got some hired help from dis mercenary. He's s'posed ta meet us at the rendezvous point. Allenby, are ya sure ya wanna go?"

Allenby rolled her eyes. 

"YES, daddy. I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself, ya know."

Argo smiled, savoring the fact that his daughter acted so much like him. The sarcasm she inherited from her mother, but the street talk was from him.

"Okay, Ally." He turned to the others. "Now get yo's sorry asses ta sleep. We got a big day t'morrow." He glared at Chibodee. "And YOU. Get ta da train station at 7:30 ta get da mercenary. I don't want dat dumbass ta get lost."  
  
Chibodee, who barely ever takes orders from anyone, nodded.

"A'ight."

Argo waited impatiently for his team to descend to the secret hideout underneath the bar. Then, Rain went over to him and placed a hand on his forearm.

"Who is this new member?" she asked, hoping to get an answer.

He shrugged. "Some mercenary. Word has it dat he's real strong." He laughed disdainfully. "I'ma hafta see dat fo myself." He stopped and noticed the bags under Rain's eyes. "Ya should get some rest, ya know."

Rain smiled. "Yeah, okay." She went over to the pinball machine and slowly descended down to the hideout. 

Argo stood alone in the empty bar. He was born on the streets, and for thirty-seven years, he had to fend for himself. He'd suffer much, losing his wife Natasha to Shinra. He turned to the door and gently closed it when he left for the weapons shop.

It was around midnight, and due to a short-circuit, the car that Domon was in was pitch black. Which was okay for Domon, who preferred to be cloaked in shadow and not be talked to. He still couldn't get the thought out of his mind: Kyoji was dead.

"It should've been me," he growled between his teeth. "If only Master Asia had not called me away on a mission. If only I'd fought side by side with my brother. If, If, If."

He sighed, contemplating the metamorphosis he'd gone through ever since joining SOLDIER. There was a gap in his past that he could not remember, but something inside told him to take the job offered by the stoic Argo. It was as if he was pulled into the deal forcefully.

Crossing his arms, he turned his head to his trusty sword. Although it was a standard issue given to all SOLDIERS, he still felt a kinship towards it. That was the only thing he remembered about SOLDIER; the training, however, was a complete blur to him. All he remembered are the numerous missions that followed.

The train screeched to a halting stop. Getting up from his seat, Domon shouldered his sword and walked out of the compartment that he was in. The morning crowd had already boarded, and some looked at him as if he were nuts. But that was normal; they'd seen weirder things going on.

After coming out of the train, Domon surveyed the train platform. It was his first time in Ne0-America and it did not meet his expectations at all. He didn't really care though. All he wanted to do was get the job done. No questions asked.

There was only one person in the platform. It was a fairly built man with blue-and-pink hair. He had a cigarette between his index and middle finger. A cloud of smoke trailed as he walked toward Domon. The guy looked at Domon in inspection.

"Ya don't look so tough ta me," he stated. Flicking the cigarette to the ground, he extended his right hand. "My name's Chibodee. I'm wit Argo."

Domon thought about taking up his gesture but deferred it. "I'm not here to make friends. Just take me to do whatever ya hired me to do."

Chibodee's anger flared but he kept himself in check. Instead, he forced a smile.

"Let's go."

The two met up with the rest of the crew of AVALANCHE at the rendezvous point. Argo glared at Domon critically the moment he arrived.

"Ex-SOLDIER eh? I don't trust ya," he growled. Domon shrugged.

"Don't worry bout it," Sai Saici squeaked. "He's wit us, right, bro?"

"Listen," Domon spat. "I don't care about you or anything else. I just want to get the damn job done. Got it?"

The others nodded and started working on breaching security. Argo did not move from his spot. He was still glaring at Domon but decided to not waste his time with him. Before he left, he muttered, "I still don't trust ya."

Domon stared at the huge reactor. _So this is where Maxter Gundam is, huh. A direct assault against Shinra. . . this is insane._ He ran to catch up with the rest.

"Where da hell didya go?" berated Argo. He breathed heavily as he stared angrily at Domon.

He shrugged. "I got lost, okay?"

"But you used to be in SOLDIER," reasoned George, who shouldered his rifle. "Surely you know these Reactors inside out?"

Domon shook his head. "No, not in Ne0-America. This is my first time."

Argo growled under his breath. Domon shrugged again and went over to help override the security. 

Sai went over to Argo. "Don't do anything rash, mister. He's with us, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. But he's pissin' the hell outta me. . ."

Sai looked over to check on the new guy. "Hey bro. Need help?"

"Thanks, but I got it."

Sai nodded in acknowledgment and walked off to lean against the wall. From the corner of his eye, he saw Allenby ogling at Domon. Immediately, he ran to Argo and grabbed his arm.

"What the hellya doin'? Don't start any stupid &#*@ wit me, boy!"

"Uhh. . . George needs to talk to ya," he breathed, trying to keep Argo from finding out his daughter likes the new guy. He would blow a major casket.

Argo grumbled and slowly walked off to George.

 Sai sighed, then stared angrily at Domon. _He's gonna get himself killed if he doesn't watch himself. . ._

The lock on the gates clicked and everyone except Sai filed in. Argo growled at Chibodee, "Get his ass in."

Chibodee nodded and used his spear to smack Sai upside his head.

"OUCH!!"

"Shut up and get in," he growled. Domon looked at Sai strangely and tapped his foot impatiently. Sai walked to the elevator grudgingly.

"This is it," said Domon. "There's gonna be a lot of security once we're inside the reactor so just stay with me."

Little did they know how much danger they were in as Maxter Gundam followed their every move.    


End file.
